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   Message 1,216 of 3,036   
   mark lewis to all   
   The ARRL Letter for January 9, 2014   
   10 Jan 14 12:21:16   
   
   If you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at:   
   http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/?issue=2014-01-09   
      
   The ARRL Letter   
      
   January 9, 2014   
   Editor: Rick Lindquist, WW1ME   
      
    *  Your League: ARRL Reply Comments Cite "Fundamental Misunderstanding" of   
       "Symbol Rate" Petition   
    *  Your League: ARRL-Sponsored Medium-Frequency Experiment Continues as   
       Hams Hope for New Band   
    *  Your League: National Contest Journal (NCJ) Debuts New Website!   
    *  International: IARU Showcases Amateur Radio at ITU Telecom World 2013   
    *  International: Yasme Foundation Announces Supporting Grants   
    *  Radiosport: New ARRL Single-Operator Unlimited Contest Category Now in   
       Effect   
    *  Ham Radio Business: Tokyo Hy-Power Files for Bankruptcy   
    *  Ham Radio Business: CQ to Realign Publications, Launch Digital   
       Supplement   
    *  Ham Radio Business: InnovAntennas Acquires Force 12   
    *  DX: ARRL DXCC Desk Approves ZD9KX Operations   
    *  Shortwave Listening: Voice of Russia to Continue Shortwave Broadcasting   
       in 2014   
    *  Propagation: Solar Flux Record High Could Herald Better Conditions   
    *  ARRL Centennial: W100AW Hits the Airwaves!   
    *  ARRL Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
    *  Milestones: Founder and President Emeritus of 4U1UN, Max de Henseler,   
       HB9RS, SK   
    *  Milestones: QST Author, CW Key Maker Jerry Pittenger, K8RA, SK   
    *  Milestones: Austin Amateur Radio Supply Owner Johnny Paul, WA5BGO, SK   
    *  Solar Update   
    *  Getting It Right!   
    *  Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
      
   Your League: ARRL Reply Comments Cite "Fundamental Misunderstanding" of   
   "Symbol Rate" Petition   
      
   In reply comments filed on its "symbol rate" Petition for Rule Making   
   (RM-11708), the ARRL said comments opposed to its initiative reflect a   
   "fundamental misunderstanding" of the petition's intent. The League's petition   
   now tops the FCC's list of "Most Active Proceedings." More than 800 comments   
   were filed as of January 7, some of them posted after the December 23 cut-off   
   date and most favoring the ARRL's proposal. The ARRL earlier filed comments   
   with the FCC on its own Petition (plus Erratum). RM-11708 proposes to drop the   
   symbol rate limit in 97.307(f) of the FCC Amateur Service rules, substituting   
   a maximum occupied bandwidth of 2.8 kHz for HF data emissions. The ARRL said   
   those opposing the Petition do not, in general, challenge the removal of the   
   symbol rate limit for data emissions in band segments where RTTY and data   
   emissions are now permitted.   
      
   "Rather, they tend to view the proposal to establish a maximum occupied   
   bandwidth of 2.8 kHz for data emissions in the medium-frequency (MF) and   
   high-frequency (HF) bands where data emissions are permitted now as an   
   enabling provision," the ARRL said. Instead, the League said, its Petition is   
   intended to impose "a limitation on the maximum bandwidth of data emissions   
   where none exists now." Given state-of-the-art data technologies, the League   
   said, there is no necessary correlation between the symbol rate and the   
   bandwidth of a data emission. The current symbol rate "acts only as a limit on   
   the efficiency of data emissions in the HF bands as a practical matter, and as   
   an artificial and arbitrary filter on the types of emissions that can be   
   utilized by radio amateurs."   
      
   The ARRL said its suggested 2.8 kHz maximum bandwidth reflects a balanced   
   approach that will permit all currently used data emissions, encourage   
   experimentation with data emissions that the current symbol rate restriction   
   prohibits, and preclude the use of wider-bandwidth data emissions that could   
   usurp the limited RTTY/data subbands. Petition opponents, the ARRL went on to   
   say, "offer no evidence" that the rule changes it proposes will lead to a   
   situation where data transmissions overwhelm the subband and preclude narrow   
   bandwidth emission communications.   
      
   "The Commission has properly chastised the Amateur Service for resisting   
   deregulatory proposals that are designed to enable amateur experimenters to   
   refine and adapt technologies," the League said in its reply comments. "ARRL   
   is of the view that outdated Commission regulations that needlessly preclude   
   experimentation with data technologies should not be preserved. Outdated   
   regulations are not a viable alternative to cooperative sharing arrangements   
   in the HF bands through voluntary band plans."   
      
   Some of those opposing its petition, the ARRL went on to say, expressed the   
   belief that the proposed rule change would impose wider-bandwidth data   
   emissions in spectrum where narrow-bandwidth modes such as CW and PSK31 now   
   operate, to the detriment of the narrow-bandwidth modes. Other opponents   
   contended that the Petition will benefit a few operators at the expense of the   
   many now operating narrowband data, RTTY, and CW on the HF bands.   
      
   "It is illogical to argue on the one hand that the Petition is intended to   
   benefit 'the few' who are data emission experimenters and users, and on the   
   other hand to predict that the relief requested in the Petition would create a   
   flood of 'wide-bandwidth' data emissions, swamping the band segments used for   
   CW, RTTY, and narrow-bandwidth data emissions," the League pointed out. "If   
   the concern is that the rule changes will encourage more radio amateurs to   
   experiment with data emissions, that would be a positive outcome." The ARRL   
   further asserted that the fear of interference from automatically controlled   
   stations "is not a valid one."   
      
   Its Petition, the ARRL concluded, "is not a referendum on the value of MF or   
   HF data emissions or data experimentation in those bands," but intended to   
   encourage experimentation now restricted artificially by outdated rules. "It   
   is instead a proposal to delete outdated limitations on Amateur Radio   
   experimentation, which Commission policy supports, and which the basis and   
   purpose of the Amateur Radio Service necessitates."   
      
   Your League: ARRL-Sponsored Medium-Frequency Experiment Continues as Hams Hope   
   for New Band   
      
   The ARRL-sponsored medium-frequency experiment, operating as WD2XSH, continues   
   apace in an effort to demonstrate the viability of 472 to 479 kHz as a   
   secondary Amateur Radio allocation. At the same time, the FCC has been silent   
   regarding the ARRL's November 2012 Petition for Rule Making that asked the   
   Commission to make this segment of the spectrum available to radio amateurs in   
   the US. Delegates to the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference approved a 7   
   kHz-wide secondary allocation between 472 and 479 kHz for the Amateur Radio   
   Service, with a power limit of 5 W EIRP (or 1 W EIRP, depending on location).   
   The FCC has indicated that it will address the issue within the context of its   
   Notice of Proposed Rule Making in ET Docket No 12-338, to formally reflect the   
   Final Acts of WRC 2007 in its rules. In his quarterly WD2XSH update,   
   Experiment Coordinator Fritz Raab, W1FR, reported that 514 contacts -- 10 in   
   the last quarter -- have been logged among those taking part in the experiment   
   across the US.   
      
   "As usual, activity increased as conditions improved during the fall. Much of   
   the recent activity has involved WSPR-15," Raab reported. "Reception over   
   significant distances (eg, Europe, Alaska) has been reported. Much of the   
   activity is being undertaken by a few new experimental licensees." Raab noted   
   that WD2XSH participant Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, transmitted Fessenden   
   commemorative broadcasts on AM via his own experimental license, WG2XFQ,   
   during the December holidays.   
      
   In the US, the 472-479 kHz band is part of the larger 435-495 kHz segment that   
   is allocated on a primary basis to the Maritime Mobile Service (federal and   
   non-federal users), and on a secondary basis for federal government   
   aeronautical radionavigation. The ARRL stated in its Petition that it is   
   unaware of any domestic assignments that might conflict with the allocation of   
   472 to 479 kHz to the Amateur Radio Service, and there is almost no power line   
   carrier (PLC) operation in this band segment. The FCC in 2003 cited the   
   potential for interference to utility-operated PLC systems when it turned down   
   an ARRL petition seeking an LF "sliver band" at 135.7 to 137.8 kHz.   
      
   The WD2XSH experiment involves more than three dozen stations and includes all   
   geographic areas of the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. Most of the stations   
   are in the eastern half of the US. Raab has reported no interference issues   
   during the WD2XSH experiment, begun in 2006 and initially using spectrum in   
   the vicinity of 500 kHz.   
      
   Your League: National Contest Journal (NCJ) Debuts New Website!   
      
   National Contest Journal (NCJ), the ARRL publication devoted to Amateur Radio   
   contesting, has a fresh, new presence on the web and a new URL --   
   http://ncjweb.com.   
      
   "The new site was designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind," said NCJ   
   Editor Kirk Pickering, K4RO. "The site contains selected feature articles as   
   well as a group of tools for setting up teams and submitting logs for   
   NCJ-sponsored contests. It also offers an archive of scores for all NCJ going   
   back to 2001. The site still has room to accommodate new features in the   
   future, so stay tuned." Visitors who use the old URL will be redirected to the   
   new site.   
      
   Pickering said the new NCJ website was a collaborative effort, and he   
   expressed his appreciation to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, "for his tireless support of   
   the NCJ website from its inception" as well as to George Fremin, K5TR, who has   
   served as the systems administrator. Pickering also thanked his partner Susie   
   Coleman, who helped design the look and feel.   
      
   "We hope that you will find the new site useful. Thanks to all who have helped   
   to make this happen," said Pickering, who invited comments on the new site and   
   design.   
      
   Published every other month, NCJ features general-interest and technical   
   articles and columns by top contesters, operator profiles, editorial comments,   
   and correspondence from readers, as well as scores for the North American QSO   
   Party and North American Sprint, which NCJ sponsors.   
      
   International: IARU Showcases Amateur Radio at ITU Telecom World 2013   
      
   The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) got some visibility for Amateur   
   Radio at ITU Telecom World 2013, sponsored by the International    
   elecommunication Union. The event was held November 19-22 in Bangkok,   
   Thailand. The IARU and IARU Region 3 leaders arranged the display in   
   cooperation with the ITU. A large, flat-screen TV in the booth displayed   
   videos of Amateur Radio activities. Special event station HS2013ITU was on the   
   air from the site. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, spoke at one of the   
   forums. A highlight of the show for the IARU contingent was a visit by ITU   
   Secretary General Dr Hamadoun Toure, HB9EHT. He took a turn at the operating   
   position of HS2013ITU while there.   
      
   "We had a number of high-profile visitors to the booth, including ministers of   
   communications and government regulators from various countries," said IARU   
   Region 3 Director Peter Lake, ZL2AZ, and Region 3 Chairman Gopal Madhavan,   
   VU2GMN, in a report. "They were keen to discuss the situation in their   
   respective countries and the association with IARU and to learn about Amateur   
   Radio and its capabilities. Telecom World 2013 gave the IARU a unique   
   opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio at the highest level."   
      
   ITU Telecom World 2013 also offered an opportunity for the IARU    
   epresentatives to influence leaders who can favorably impact radio regulations   
   and national attitudes toward Amateur Radio. "The presence of IARU, and its   
   effort to showcase Amateur Radio and its capabilities, was well appreciated by   
   all who visited the booth, and the effort was well worthwhile," said the   
   IARU's report. "We also laid a foundation under the new ITU Telecom World   
   structure to gain some similar space at the next event in 2014 in Qatar."   
      
   International: Yasme Foundation Announces Supporting Grants   
      
   To further the development of Amateur Radio around the world, The Yasme   
   Foundation has announced the recipients of four supporting grants:   
      
    *  WRTC-2014, to help defray the expenses of the World Radiosport Team   
       Championship in New England this July.   
    *  The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN), to purchase a receiver and necessary   
       accessories to upgrade the RBN node in Bangalore, India.   
    *  CWOps CW Academy, to help defray the expenses of providing online CW   
       training courses.   
    *  The ARRL Second Century Fund, to support the goal of the ARRL Second   
       Century Campaign of opening a path to passionate involvement in Amateur   
       Radio by new generations, providing opportunities for educational   
       enrichment, community service, and personal achievement through the   
       exploration and use of radio communication.   
      
   The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to conduct   
   scientific and educational projects related to Amateur Radio, including DXing   
   and the introduction and promotion of Amateur Radio in developing countries.   
   The Foundation supports individuals and organizations providing or creating   
   useful services for the Amateur Radio community, regardless of originality or   
   novelty, to further the development of Amateur Radio around the world.   
      
   Radiosport: New ARRL Single-Operator Unlimited Contest Category Now in Effect   
      
   Responding to many requests, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee in 2013   
   accepted the Contest Advisory Committee (CAC) recommendation to add the   
   Single-Operator Unlimited category to the ARRL 10 Meter Contest, ARRL 160   
   Meter Contest, RTTY Roundup, and the IARU HF Championship. "This particular   
   issue has been a long time coming," said CAC Chairman Al Dewey, K0AD.   
      
   The new category permits the use of spotting information within the   
   Single-Operator class. In the past, using spotting information placed a   
   station in the Multioperator category. Per the revised rules, "Single-Operator   
   Unlimited: The use of spotting assistance or automated, multi-channel decoders   
   is permitted."   
      
   Ham Radio Business: Tokyo Hy-Power Files for Bankruptcy   
      
   Tokyo Hy-Power, a manufacturer of Amateur Radio amplifiers, antenna tuners,   
   and other equipment, is in bankruptcy, and its plant, in Saitama Prefecture   
   near Tokyo, has been shuttered. Telephones at the company no longer are being   
   answered, and its Japanese website has been taken down, although the company's   
   US website remains working. Company CEO/President Nobuki Wakabayashi, JA1DJW,   
   founded Tokyo Hy-Power Labs in 1975. He blamed "the recent depression in the   
   industrial RF power products area [which] has led to the very difficult   
   financial position."   
      
   Tokyo Hy-Power's early products were HF antenna couplers, although within a   
   couple of years it began manufacturing amplifiers for the Amateur Radio   
   market, including solid-state mobile amplifiers. Among its early products was   
   the HL-4000 linear amplifier, which the company claimed was "the first real HF   
   band high-power linear of its kind in Japan." It has been manufacturing RF   
   products for the industrial market since 1984.   
      
   The company also once marketed the HT-750, a portable, low-power SSB/CW   
   transceiver for 40, 15, and 6 meters in a hand-held transceiver form factor.   
   At Dayton Hamventionr 2013, the company displayed a prototype of the XT-751,   
   an advanced model it hoped to develop, covering 40 through 6 meters and with   
   an internal antenna tuner. Among its latest products were solid-state HF   
   amplifiers, as well as amplifiers for 6 and 2 meters.   
      
   In a December 26 news release, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) reacted with   
   "disappointment" and said it was "deeply saddened" to learn that Tokyo   
   Hy-Power had gone into bankruptcy.   
      
   "This action in Japan appears to be similar to a Chapter 7 action here within   
   the United States, as the process in this case appears to be the liquidation   
   of organizational assets in order to attempt to fund some portion of its debt   
   obligation(s)," the HRO release said. "This appears to indicate that a court   
   has deemed the organization unable to be effectively reorganized under Japan's   
   Civil Reconstruction Code."   
      
   HRO said it was working with AVSL, the current US service provider for Tokyo   
   Hy-Power products "to discuss the opportunity of continued maintenance at the   
   component level of the US-sold Tokyo Hy-Power line of amplifiers." Read more.   
      
   Ham Radio Business: CQ to Realign Publications, Launch Digital Supplement   
      
   CQ Communications Inc has announced plans to realign its publications lineup   
   and to launch a new online supplement to its flagship magazine, CQ Amateur   
   Radio.   
      
   "The hobby radio market is changing," said CQ Communications President and   
   Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, "and we are changing what we do and how we do it   
   in order to continue providing leadership to all segments of the radio hobby."   
      
   Effective with the February 2014 issue of CQ, said Ross, content from the   
   magazine's three sister publications -- Popular Communications, CQ VHF and   
   WorldRadio Online -- will be incorporated into CQ's digital edition as a   
   supplement to be called CQ Plus. The print editions of Popular Communications   
   and CQ VHF will be phased out, and WorldRadio Online will no longer exist as a   
   separate online publication. Current Popular Communications, CQ VHF and   
   WorldRadio Online subscribers will be converted to CQ subscribers and receive   
   CQ Plus at no additional charge. Details will be posted on each magazine's   
   website.   
      
   CQ Communications says the change will offer hobby radio enthusiasts a single   
   source for articles from shortwave listening and scanner monitoring to   
   personal two-way services and Internet radio, as well as Amateur Radio.   
   Richard Fisher, KI6SN, currently editor of both Popular Communications and   
   WorldRadio Online, will be editor of CQ Plus.   
      
   Ham Radio Business: InnovAntennas Acquires Force 12   
      
   InnovAntennas has acquired the legendary Force 12 antenna company and product   
   line and has moved the Force 12 factory from Bridgeport, Texas, to Grand   
   Junction, Colorado, into a facility shared with InnovAntennas America.   
   InnovAntennas Ltd in England is now manufacturing Force 12 products for the   
   European market at its Canvey Island plant.   
      
   The Grand Junction facility is up and running, manufacturing and shipping   
   antennas. InnovAntennas says it plans to produce updated versions of classic   
   Force 12 antennas as well as all-new models. InnovAntennas Founder Justin   
   Johnson, G0KSC, was at the Colorado facility in late 2013 to assist in setting   
   up and laying out the factory, and the company was expected to be at full   
   production this month. -- Thanks to The ARRL Contest Update   
      
   DX: ARRL DXCC Desk Approves ZD9KX Operations   
      
   The ARRL DXCC Desk has approved the 2012 and 2013 operation of ZD9KX --   
   Tristan Da Cunha & Gough Islands for DX Century Club credit. If a request for   
   DXCC credit for this operation has been rejected in a prior application,   
   contact ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, to be placed on the list   
   for an update to your record. Please note the submission date and/or reference   
   number of your application in order to expedite the search for any rejected   
   contacts.   
      
   DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that hams can earn by confirming   
   on-the-air contacts with 100 DXCC "entities," most of which are countries in   
   the traditional sense. You can begin with the basic DXCC award and work your   
   way up to the DXCC Honor Roll. Learn more. -- ARRL Awards Branch Manager Bill   
   Moore, NC1L   
      
   Shortwave Listening: Voice of Russia to Continue Shortwave Broadcasting in 2014   
      
   To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the demise of the Voice of Russia (VOR)   
   may have been greatly exaggerated. Earlier this year the Voice of Russia --   
   the former Radio Moscow during the Soviet Era -- appeared poised to cease   
   shortwave broadcasts as of January 1, 2014. In the wake of a December decree   
   signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that merged the Voice of Russia   
   with several other state-run news agencies, SWL Tom Witherspoon, K4SWL,   
   contacted VOR.   
      
   "We are glad to let you know that the Voice of Russia will stay on the air in   
   2014, however, considerable changes in our frequency schedule are expected,"   
   the broadcaster told Witherspoon and as he reports on his blog.   
      
   The posted VOR schedule, which runs through March, indicates 38 aggregate   
   hours of shortwave broadcasts to all parts of the world, most beamed at the   
   Middle East and Asia. Shortwave broadcasts to Europe, Latin America, Oceania,   
   and Africa account for just 15 aggregate hours. VOR, which claims to be the   
   first radio station to broadcast internationally, also broadcasts online, via   
   satellite, on FM, and via three medium-wave transmitters. In 2003 VOR was   
   among the first major international radio broadcasters to launch daily   
   broadcasts to Europe in Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM).   
      
   Propagation: Solar Flux Record High Could Herald Better Conditions   
      
   The 10.7 centimeter solar flux index (SFI) jumped to a Cycle 24 record of 262   
   on January 4, suggesting that Cycle 24 has not yet begun drawing to a close   
   and may be approaching or at a "second peak." The previous peak for the   
   current cycle was 190 on September 24, 2011. As NASA's Marshall Space Flight   
   Center (MSFC) explains, the flux of the sun's radio emissions at 10.7   
   centimeter (2.8 GHz) is another indicator of solar activity levels, since it   
   tends to follow changes in the solar ultraviolet that influence Earth's upper   
   atmosphere and ionosphere.   
      
   "Many models of the upper atmosphere use the 10.7 centimeter flux (F10.7) as   
   input to determine atmospheric densities and satellite drag," NASA/MSFC noted,   
   adding that SFI "has been shown to follow the sunspot number quite closely."   
   The January 6 sunspot count was 225. The Cycle 24 sunspot count peaked at 282   
   on November 17, 2013, according to WM7D.net.   
      
   Canada's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) indicated an   
   "official" flux of 262 at 2000 UTC on Saturday, January 3. The official figure   
   for Sunday, January 5, was 217.5. ARRL solar observer Tad Cook, K7RA, who   
   reports 10.7 centimeter flux numbers in his weekly "Solar Update" bulletins,   
   suggests that they are not as valuable as sunspot numbers in predicting radio   
   propagation. The solar flux was over the January 4-5 weekend was far higher   
   what was anticipated, judging by predictions Cook reported in his January 3   
   "Solar Update" for this past weekend and the week ahead. NASA/MFSC indicates a   
   95 percent predicted flux for the month of January at 146.5, continuing at   
   about the same level through the first half of the year.   
      
   The Daily DX said the SFI was expected to remain above 200 for this week. As   
   Ian Poole, G3YWX, explained solar flux in his article, "Understanding Solar   
   Indices" in the September 2002 edition of QST, "[H]igh values generally   
   indicate there is sufficient ionization to support long-distance communication   
   at higher-than-normal frequencies." He pointed out, though, that it can take a   
   few days of high values for conditions to show improvement. "Typically values   
   in excess of 200 will be measured during the peak of a sunspot cycle, with   
   high values of up to 300 being experienced for shorter periods," Poole wrote.   
   Read more.   
      
   ARRL Centennial: W100AW Hits the Airwaves!   
      
   At the stroke of midnight Eastern Time on January 1, Hiram Percy Maxim   
   Memorial station W1AW at ARRL Headquarters in Newington took to the air to   
   debut its special ARRL Centennial call sign, W100AW. ARRL Chief Executive   
   Officer Dave Sumner, K1ZZ and Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave   
   Patton, NN1N, and ARRL Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, were at the helm into   
   the wee hours of New Year's Day.   
      
   Daylight hours saw ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B;   
   Membership and Volunteer Programs Assistant Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ; Public   
   Relations Manager Sean Kutzko; KX9X and QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford,   
   WB8IMY, taking their turns at the operating positions. By mid-afternoon,   
   several thousand contacts were in the log on SSB, CW and RTTY.   
      
   "This is just the beginning," said Kutzko. "Hams will hear W100AW throughout   
   2014 on every mode possible. When you hear us, spot us on the cluster!"   
      
   Not surprising, 20 meter SSB yielded the most contacts -- 1121 of the 3700   
   logged -- during the 19 hours of New Year's Day operation from W100AW. Ten   
   meter phone was in second place with 639 contacts.   
      
   W100AW contacts will be uploaded to Logbook of The World (LoTW). QSL cards   
   sent by mail will be acknowledged as well.   
      
   W1AW Portable Operations, ARRL Centennial QSO Party   
      
   The ARRL Centennial "W1AW WAS" operations are taking place throughout 2014   
   from each of the 50 states, relocating each Wednesday (UTC) to a new pair of   
   states (this week, South Carolina and Utah. Listen for W1AW/4 and W1AW/7).   
   During 2014 W1AW will be on the air from every state at least twice and from   
   most US territories, and it will be easy to work all states solely by   
   contacting W1AW portable operations.   
      
   In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the ARRL, the ARRL Centennial QSO   
   Party also kicked off January 1 for a year-long operating event in which   
   participants can accumulate points and win awards. The event is open to all,   
   although only ARRL members and appointees, elected officials, HQ staff and   
   W1AW are worth ARRL Centennial QSO Party points. Working W1AW/x from each   
   state is worth 5 points per contact.   
      
   To earn the "Worked all States with W1AW Award," work W1AW operating portable   
   from all 50 states. (Working W1AW or W100AW in Connecticut does not count for   
   Connecticut, however. For award credit, participants must work W1AW/1 in   
   Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS certificate and plaque will be available (pricing not   
   yet available).   
      
   Some Statistics   
      
   As of today (January 9), more than 6700 stations have earned points in the   
   Centennial QSO Party by uploading qualifying QSOs to Logbook of The World   
   (LoTW). Operating from North Carolina and West Virginia during the first week   
   of the W1AW portable operations, W1AW/4 and W1AW/8 logged approximately 33,000   
   contacts.   
      
   "The second week is off to a roaring start from South Carolina and Utah,"   
   reported ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N.   
      
   ARRL Centennial: A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL   
      
   Editor's note: "A Century of Amateur Radio and the ARRL" will be a weekly   
   feature as the ARRL celebrates its Centennial in 2014.   
      
   In Amateur Radio, as in all fields, 100 years has brought about amazing   
   progress and changes. During 2014, we will give you a sense of the ARRL's and   
   Amateur Radio's history by looking through the issues of QST from its humble   
   beginning to the present. We'll examine the important topics and events of   
   interest to amateurs, such as technology, operating tips and events, ARRL's   
   doings, and FCC actions. Because of the limited space available here, the   
   comments will be brief, but they will provide citations to original QST   
   articles for your further reading.   
      
   The next century will bring about changes that will be mind-boggling to us,   
   because technology advances at an exponential rate. Being aware of the past   
   100 years of ham-related events is valuable to us for historical reasons, and   
   it also makes us consider what might lie ahead. Next time: A look at the   
   earliest years of Amateur Radio and the ARRL. -- Al Brogdon, W1AB   
      
   Milestones: Founder and President Emeritus of 4U1UN, Max de Henseler, HB9RS, SK   
      
   Max de Henseler, HB9RS, the founder and president emeritus of 4U1UN at United   
   Nations headquarters in New York, died December 30. He was 80. A ham since   
   1955, de Henseler had been a short-wave listener since the late 1940s. In   
   1976, while in New York as the UN's chief cartographer, de Henseler   
   reactivated the United Nations Radio Club station K2UN at its new home in   
   midtown Manhattan. As Jack Troster, W6ISQ, explained in the July 1989 issue of   
   QST, "Through his efforts, the Secretary General approved the operation of a   
   specifically designated UN amateur station using the call 4U1UN in early 1978."   
      
   De Henseler introduced the new call sign on February 4, 1978, during the first   
   weekend of the then two-weekend ARRL International DX phone contest,   
   surprising many contesters. 4U1UN was approved for DXCC credit, due to the   
   efforts of "Mister UN Radio."   
      
   The 4U1UN United Nations Headquarters Station was dismantled in 2010 due to   
   the extensive renovation project on the Secretariat Building. -- Thanks to The   
   Daily DX   
      
   Milestones: QST Author, CW Key Maker Jerry Pittenger, K8RA, SK   
      
   QST author and CW key crafter Jerry Pittenger, K8RA, of Powell, Ohio, died   
   January 2 of pancreatic cancer. He was 66. Licensed in 1960, Pittenger was a   
   retired systems engineer. He earned a bachelor's degree at Miami University   
   and an MS in systems engineering from Ohio State.   
      
   Pittenger enjoyed building his own equipment, and some of his amplifier   
   projects were featured in QST, The ARRL Handbook, and RF Amplifier Classics.   
   More recently he manufactured a line of solid-brass iambic and single-lever CW   
   keys sold worldwide, until illness forced him to quit.   
      
   "Making my CW keys fills much of my time, but it is a labor of love,"   
   Pittenger said in his online profile. "I can get lost in time machining metals   
   and making things in the shop for the radio." His friends Mike Freeman, NT8O,   
   and Fred Freeman, N8BX, have taken over the production of the K8RA line.   
      
   Milestones: Austin Amateur Radio Supply Owner Johnny Paul, WA5BGO, SK   
      
   The owner of Austin Amateur Radio Supply, John E. "Johnny" Paul, WA5BGO, of   
   Austin, Texas, died December 10. He was 74. Paul was the proprietor of Austin   
   Amateur Radio for 45 years. First licensed in 1960, Paul was a past president   
   of the Austin Amateur Radio Club and was an avid photographer of nature and   
   landscapes. Services were December 16.   
      
   Solar Update   
      
   Tad Cook, K7RA, in Seattle, reports: A big storm is brewing! At 2324 UTC on   
   January 8 the Australian Space Forecast Centre issued this geomagnetic   
   disturbance warning: "Increased geomagnetic activity expected due to coronal7   
   mass ejection from 09-10 January 2014."   
      
   NOAA forecasters estimate a 90 percent chance of geomagnetic storms on January   
   9. The predicted planetary A indices for January 9 through January 13 are 73,   
   41, 15, 8 and 5. While an emblematic number for hams, 73 is a huge value for   
   the planetary A index. One has to look way, way back to find a value like   
   this. The planetary A index was 67 on both March 9, 2012, and September 26,   
   2011, but nothing exceeds what is predicted for January 9 except the planetary   
   A index of 104 on December 15, 2006, and 105 on September 11, 2005.   
      
   This has been an exciting week for sun watchers. The daily sunspot number   
   reached 245 on January 6, and solar flux was 237.1 on January 8. The GOES-15   
   X-ray background flux has also been high, and that may be more significant for   
   enhanced HF propagation than a high solar flux. NOAA's Space Weather   
   Prediction Center maintains an archive of X-ray flux, solar flux, and sunspot   
   numbers (check the links marked "DSD.txt." The links marked "DGD.txt" will   
   give you daily geomagnetic indicators).   
      
   Over the past week, average daily sunspot numbers rose more than 80 points to   
   188.1, and average daily solar flux was up by more than 62 points to 201.6.   
   Predicted solar flux for the near term is 195 on January 9-12, 190 on January   
   13, 160 on January 14, 155 on January 15-16, and 150 on January 17-19. It then   
   rises to a peak of 190 on January 29 through February 3.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index values are 73, 41, 15 and 8 on January 9-12, 5 on   
   January 13-22, 10 on January 23, 8 on January 24, 5 on January 25-27, then 10,   
   18 and 8 on January 28-30, then 5 again until February 6.   
      
   For the Friday, January 10, "Solar Update," look for an update on the latest   
   disturbance and forecast, as well as reports from readers. I welcome your   
   reports and observations via e-mail.   
      
   Getting It Right!   
      
   In The ARRL Letter, December 19, 2013, we inadvertently omitted 20 meters from   
   the list of bands available for the ARRL Centennial QSO Party.   
      
   Just Ahead in Radiosport   
    *  Jan 10 -- QRP Fox Hunt   
    *  Jan 10 -- NCCC Sprint Ladder   
    *  Jan 11 -- Old New Year Contest   
    *  Jan 11-12 -- UK DX BPSK63 Contest   
    *  Jan 11-12 -- MI QRP January CW Contest   
    *  Jan 11-12 -- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon   
    *  Jan 11-12 -- North American QSO Party, CW   
    *  Jan 12 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest, CW (0630-0830 UTC)   
    *  Jan 12 -- NRAU-Baltic Contest, SSB (0900-1100 UTC)   
    *  Jan 12 -- DARC 10-Meter Contest   
    *  Jan 12 -- Midwinter Contest   
    *  Jan 15 -- QRP Fox Hunt   
      
   Upcoming ARRL Section, State and Division Conventions and Events   
    *  January 17-18 -- North Texas Section Convention, Fort Worth, Texas   
    *  January 19-26 -- Quartzfest Convention, Quartzsite, Arizona   
    *  January 24-25 -- Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi   
    *  January 25 -- Georgia ARES Convention, Forsyth, Georgia   
    *  January 25-26 -- Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, Puerto Rico   
    *  January 31-February 1 -- Southern Florida S   

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